Space Racers (Jomaribryan's version)
Space Racers is an American CGI STEM-focused educational animated television series featuring the cadets of the Stardust Space Academy. The series was distributed in the first season for public television by American Public Television, and was produced under the auspicies of Maryland Public Television. The second season of Space Racers debuted in September 2016 as a commercial effort on NBCUniversal's Sprout, since rebranded to Universal Kids. The show follows the Space Racers Cadets as they travel the solar system exploring space through assigned missions. The show features contributions from NASA involving science and space technology education, and also maintains partnerships with the U.S. Space & Rocket Center and U.S. Space Camp. Plot Space Racers is an educational animated television series aimed at children 3-6 years old. The main characters - Eagle, Hawk, Robyn, Starling and Raven - are cadets at the Stardust Space Academy, and each episode they discover a series of space-based scientific discoveries. The cadets spend each episode traveling through outer space. Cast * Alicyn Packard as Cadet Robyn * Yuri Lowenthal as Cadet Eagle * Meyer DeLeeuw as Cadet Hawk * Johnny Yong Bosch as Cadet Raven * Melissa Hutchison as AVA (the academy AI), Starling (Jr Cadet) * Phil Lollar as Dodo (assistant to Vulture), Crane (Headmaster) * Joey D'Auria as Vulture (academy Chairman), Coot (faculty - Engineering, Sciences) * Danny Katiana as Pigeon (faculty - Coach), Trogon (rocket scientist), Loon (senior chief engineer / officer at Lunar Base Alpha) * Katie Leigh as Sojourner, Sandpiper (faculty - astro sciences), Crow (Jr Cadet) * Allan Charles Neuwirth as Fizzy Finchfuzz, Giotto Probe * Alicyn Packard as Sparrow (Jr Cadet) Episodes Main article: List of Space Racers episodes Development The series concept was developed by Richard Schweiger, who wanted to create a show based around animated vehicles that travel through space. In 2009, Schweiger and Julian Cohen developed the idea into a feature-film script, which won a screenwriting award. In 2010, Schweiger formed the company that would produce Space Racers, and instead of pursuing a film, decided to turn the concept into a television series. The idea developed into fifty individual 11 minute episodes for broadcast. Origins as Space Race (2011-2014) On March 22, 2011, it originally launched as a web series on PBS Kids under the name Space Race. It featured 8 characters/webisodes (with 2 characters not returning in the 2014 reboot) interviewed by Gary Galaxy (played by Meyer DeLeeuw) a 3D Galaxy Adventure game, printables, and the “What Spaceship are You?” widget. As of today, the site and the webisodes (with the exception of the first episode and trailer) are considered to be lost media. Relaunch as Space Racers (2014-present) On January 4, 2014, it was announced that the web series would relaunch as a television series under the new name Space Racers, with 7 of the characters remodeled and having new roles, along with 6 new characters. Season one of Space Racers consists of 26 half-hour episodes, first airing on May 2, 2014. The series was distributed by Maryland Public Television and PBS Kids. Cake Television is the distributor for the show internationally. The show's head writer was Allan Neuwirth, its director was Mark Risley, and its executive producers were Brenda Wooding as well as show creators Richard Schweiger and Julian Cohen. Episodes would contain two eleven-minute animated segments, offset by live-action sections between them. The U.S. premiere of the first season was on May 2, 2014. The show's world broadcast debut on February 15, 2014 in New Zealand. Season two of Space Racers consists of 20 half-hour episodes, first airing on October 31, 2016 on Sprout. The show's head writer was again Allan Neuwirth, its director was Mark Risley, and its executive producers were Michael Matays, Charles Matays, and Matthias Schmitt. Episodes contain two eleven-minute animated segments, offset by interstitials or commercial sections between them. The U.S. premiere of the second season was on October 31, 2016. Collaborations The Space Racers TV series was produced in collaboration with NASA experts, with input from NASA experts on science-based facts incorporated into the episodes. The show also features NASA scientists and astronauts in live action interstitials. The Space Racers creators have also developed a website where viewers can find a preschool science curriculum on space science, which was developed in collaboration THIRTEEN productions (WNET) and SiiTE. SpaceRacers.com has a section for family-based education as well for educators and parents. Special screenings of episodes have been held at both the Kennedy Space Center and the Wallops NASA Visitor Center, in collaboration with Maryland Public Television. In July 2014, the Virginia Air and Space Center opened a Space Racers-themed exhibit. Merchandise Space Racers merchandise was introduced in November 2018. There are vehicle toys, plush toys, T-Shirts, and Activity and Coloring Books. Space Racers merchandise is available for view at www.spaceracerstoys.com Also, the DVD releases are available in stores since 2015. Broadcast Space Racers aired on PBS Kids and Universal Kids in the United States of America. The show aired on TVO Kids in Canada. Currently, only the 2nd season of the show is being broadcast on that network. The show was also available on Netflix worldwide. The show was also aired on TV2 in Malaysia, France 5 in France, Minimax in Europe, MiniMini+ in Poland, and Tiji in Russia. The series is available for online streaming on Viu in Singapore. The spanish-dubbed version of the show was titled Exploradores Espaciales, and was broadcast on V-me (now discontinued) and Vme Kids. The spanish-dubbed version is also available for online streaming on Fox in Argentina. Awards Space Racers has won several awards in children's broadcasting including the American Public Television (APT) Programming Excellence Award in 2014 and a Parents’ Choice Recommended Award in 2015. Category:Kids animation Category:Kids animated series Category:Kids television series Category:Kids series Category:PBS Shows Category:Sprout Shows